Author's Note: I still don't own the Arrow, BTVS, etc.

Again this is AU.

We were strangers, on a crazy adventure

Never dreaming, how our dreams would come true

Now here we stand, unafraid of the future

At the beginning with you

-At The Beginning by Donna Lewis and Richard Marx-

One would be hard pressed to find a more motley crew than the one assembled at the ISWC's inner sanctum. People unaware of the fight against vampires, demons and the forces of darkness would dismiss them and refuse to believe just how much power their group possessed.

From the early beginnings of the Scooby gang, there now stood the three most powerful and oldest living Slayers, the most powerful witch in the world, a woman with the essence of Illyria, an ancient one, ensouled master vampires, the Destroyer, an alien enhanced human, a mystical key, werewolves who have fought off the influence of the moon, an army tactical unit, metahumans, geniuses, Slayerettes or Minis, new watchers, demon hunters and a few more 'assets' currently working on the field on assignment. These people seemed to have no common denominator or unifying factor, save one, Buffy Summers, the strongest among the Slayers who touched and changed each and every one of them and made them a family.

Though she died twice, there is no question that nobody else could have done all that she has done and continues to do for the world. Giles always thought it uncanny that this woman who never wanted power and influence had both in spades and wielded them better than any of her predecessors. Not perfect by any means, she made mistakes along the way but always did the best she could. Knowing what it meant to lead, she only asked that the people who chose to fight alongside her continue to live their lives, the kind of life that she had seemingly been denied because of her calling and that in any endeavor, they give their best against the knowledge that the fate of the world rested on their shoulders.

Angel once said that Buffy wore her heart on her sleeve for all the world to see and it made you want to shelter that heart. She effortlessly drew people to her cause and inspired them to go beyond the norm and repeatedly defy the impossible.

They had already come very far and still had a long way to go. What was it Robert Frost had said? "The woods are lovely, dark and deep but I have miles to go before I sleep." Going over the information he was about to share with them, he knew that there were indeed miles ahead of them and that no matter how difficult, they would need to rise above and save the world yet again.

-8-

I am a freedom fighter

The name that history wrote

And even through disaster

Eye of the tiger for hope

I'm trying to find my way back

There's no day off for heroes

And even when I'm tired

"Go" is the only word I know.

-It's On Again by Alicia Keys and Kendrick Lamar-

Ten years ago in Sunnydale, California

Glory has Dawn... Glory knows she's the Key. Those were the only thoughts swirling around her mind and while she knew she had to pull herself together and find a way to stop a Hell Goddess from opening a portal to her hell dimension, Buffy couldn't help but remember the last time she had to sacrifice someone she loved just to close a portal.

Giles looked worriedly at Buffy and tried to keep his voice as even as possible. "Buffy, if the portal should open..."

Buffy didn't even look up but replied "Giles, don't say it. I can't lose another person. I know Dawn really isn't my sister, but she was made from me and she feels like she belongs to me... I can't... I won't sacrifice another person. It almost killed me when I had to send Angel to hell to close Acathla's portal, I won't survive having to do the same thing to Dawn. That means we have to stop Glory before she opens it."

Buffy then addressed the rest of her friends and addressed them. "Willow, stay close to Tara, but don't crowd her. We'll follow in a minute. Everyone knows their jobs. Remember, the ritual starts, we all die. And I'll kill anyone who comes near Dawn." Gone was their friend and her place the Slayer was in control.

Gathering their weapons and everything else they needed. They allowed Tara to head out and Willow started tailing her.

Putting out his cigarette Spike started hand weapons to Giles so he could bag them. "Not exactly the St. Crispin's Day speech, was it?"

G

iles sardonically agreed with a small smile. "We few..."

To which Spike joined in. "We happy few...We band of buggered..."

They followed Tara into a construction site with a tower and a crane up above and Willow stood near Tara as the rest of the gang filled the frame where Tara stood.

Giles pointed to the scaffolding above. "The portal must open up there."

Taking in the area where they would need to stop Glory. Xander could not help but feel apprehensive blurted out, "Shpadoinkle." Pointing to the crane and moves toward it after squeezing Anya's hand in a comforting gesture. "Hey, check that out. I think I can work with that."

Buffy then gives a nod then turns to Willow. "Will, you're up."

Noting Willows hesitation Giles asked. "Need anything?"

Willow replied honestly. "Could use some courage ..." To which Spike in a show of support held out his flask of whiskey with a smile.

Willow could not stop the smile that curled up in the corner of her mouth but shook her head. "The real kind...but thanks."

Spike shrugged his shoulders and took a swig from his flask before putting it back in his pockets for safekeeping, then rolled his eyes at Willow, "That leaves more for me then, Red. Suit yourself."

A few moments later, crazies filled the center of the construction area. Moving in a frenzy, they gathered bricks, bars anything that they could use as weapons in defense of Glorificus, the one who put them in the brain sucked out state they were in.

Glory, spotting Tara, could not contain her surprise and addressed her minions, "What is she doing here?" She was so busy confronting her minions in order to find out who to punish that she missed as Willow, crackling with magic and energy appeared in between her and Tara and shoved her fingers into both their brains in order to weaken Glory and try to reverse the damage done to Tara. "She's with me!"

Seconds later Glory shrieks, falls to her knees seemingly consumed by the pain caused by Willow's magic. "What the frikkin' hell did that bitch do to me!?"

Noting the distress on the hell god's face, her minions scrambled to assure her that there was nothing amiss.

"You look fine! Truly!"

"Stylish and affordable! Or ..."

Glory takes a step, stumbles... "She made a little, she made a hole ... God I need a meal... I need a brain to eat -"

"Take mine, oh groove-tastic one -"

Rolling her eyes in annoyance Glory shakes her head. "I said a BRAIN, you worthless dirt! I got places to be! Big day... Need a brain" Turning slowly, she finally sees Buffy ... "Suppose I could always use yours."

Walking casually toward Glory Buffy pauses a step and says "Okay then. Come and get it."

As they circled one another Buffy notices that Glory was a tad unsteady. Glory and Buffy eyed one another. "You don't seem very well. Do you need to lie down and have a tonic?"

Glory stops, clutched her forehead and shakes her head to look at Buffy. "Your little witchbitch gave me kind of a headache there. And all it did was to kill her and her friend, so kudos to her! But if you think this is gonna last more than eight seconds..."

Smiling, Buffy tilts her head and walks casually toward Glory. "I notice that you're talking, whereas in your position I would attack me."

Glory, flabbergasted by the confidence displayed by Buffy and a bit worried that the Slayer could derail the ritual to open a portal to her home dimension ordered her minions. "Guard the Key! I can take care of hairdo here, it won't take long."

Twirling her hammer Buffy smiles. "You keep saying I'm nothing, I'm still not feeling attacked by 's strange ..."

Glory moved toward Buffy, then hesitates. Confusion crosses her face. She continues to move toward her, but slowly and with obvious effort.

Seeing this, Buffy gave a small laugh. "You're not as blurry with speed as usual, either." Producing the Dagon's Sphere from her back pocket. It might be this..."

Glory snarled at the sight of it.

Buffy continues. "I heard it was supposed to repel you. So my guess is that you probably shouldn't touch it." She the proceeded to toss it to Glory, who instinctively caught it - energy rippled from it, causing her to convulse with agony. A scream welled up inside Glory and crushes the sphere in her hand. Looking down, breathing hard, she looks up with murderous hate... "You're gonna wish-"

Buffy hits Glory right across her jaw causing her to fly back and hit the ground. Anger rebounds her up, only to meet a flurry of blows and kicks from the determined Slayer. She barely fends them off at first, then starts to get her own back, landing a couple of good blows.

As they fight, the minions gather the crazies to guard the stairway as well.

"Stand fast! Kill anyone who dares approach! This is our day of Glory!"

Giles, Spike and Anya all charged toward them. Anya swung her baseball bat and waded through the crazies with a warrior yell. Giles, fights by her side, defensively wielding his sword and reserved his killing thrusts for the minions. Spike, eager to get to Dawn, jumped over the whole defensive crazy line to land in the thick of the minions, in a whirling mass of just fists and fury.

Behind them, Willow blearily regains consciousness. She sat up with pain spiking in her head as she looked around. Finally seeing Tara, who is lying still, a few yards away. Willow dragged herself to Tara and tried to cradle her head. "Tara? Tara!"

Tara blinked awake and looked around her in dazed confusion until she finally focused on Willow's face. Willow looked at her, waiting for some sign of her mental state ...Tara's eyes filled with tears. "Willow... I got so lost ..."

Willow covers Tara's face with kisses and embraces her "I found you. I'll always find you..."

At the other side of the construction site, Buffy and Glory are still trading blows. Buffy swings a punch - and Glory catches it in her hand. "You know what? I am feeling a little better and now I'm a little bored."

She backhands Buffy hard, sending her staggering to the ground. "I'm sorry, you had a comment?" Though breathing hard from the fight, she's glee central as she turned away eager to start the ritual."

Buffy gets back on her feet and swung Olaf's hammer onto Glory's head, home run style. Glory falls back and smashed onto the nearest wall, dropping in a dazed heap. "You're not the brightest god in the heavens, are you?"

Hearing Dawn's screams, Buffy starts to go up the tower.

Glory shook off the blow and got to her feet. "Oh no you don't ..." She then whipped up from below, not at blurspeed, but faster than Buffy and grabbed her.

The two struggled but while Buffy held her own Glory eventually gained the upper hand and knocked the hammer out of Buffy's hand causing them both to plummet back down onto the construction site. They both land hard, Glory by a section of drywall, Buffy just beyond it.

Seeing both Glory and Buffy start to get to their feet Xander pushes a lever "Beautiful... hold that pose." As he sent a wrecking ball moving toward the pair.

Getting up and dusting her dress, Glory looked at Buffy. "You lost your hammer, sweetcheeks. What're you gonna hit me with now.?" She was so caught up in gloating, thinking she had already won that she missed seeing the wrecking ball that swung through a wall and knocked her all the way through another wall into an office where she landed in hellish pain and attendant crashing.

Seeing this, Xander moves away from the crane to aid the others. "And the glorified brick-layer picks up a spare."

Buffy, sending a smile at Xander's direction and answers Glory's question. "Whatever's handy." She then picked up the hammer and bounded through the hole after Glory.

-8-

Up above Dawn sees one of Glory's minions, the one called Doc and begins to plead for his help. "You... can you help me? Untie me please!"

Doc walked toward her. "Oh, sweet girl, I can do magic. Well she seems to be running late, is the thing. And if her splendidness isn't here to bleed you..."

Dawn's face paled.

Doc continued. "Yes, it's all coming together at last. Hey kid. Wanna see a trick?" Doc closed in on Dawn somewhat and pulled an antique pocket watch out of his pocket, looking at it, he drawls. "What do you know? Just about that time."

Tears flowed down Dawn's face as she screamed in pain. Doc is right in front of her, face near and grinning. As he proceeded to cut her while maniacally speaking. "Shallow cuts, shallow cuts...let the blood flow free..."

Time was running out on Dawn.

-8-

Down below, Buffy and Glory were still duking things out as Buffy hammer whipped Glory in the face, sending her smashing into a pile of crashy things. Glory whined. "This isn't fair."

Hearing this, Buffy paused. "I'm sorry. You want to rip apart the fabric of reality, destroy my world and kill my sister and now you're introducing the concept of fairness?"

Glory leaps at Buffy, swinging at her with a crowbar, slashing her neck and sending her reeling. Upon Glory's next swing, Buffy, now bleeding right below her neck, due to a nice good slash, blocked the crowbar with the hammer and kicked Glory away from her causing Glory to drop the crowbar which clatters to the ground.

In near tears, Glory continued her whining. "You're just a mortal... you couldn't understand my pain."

Buffy hits her with the hammer yet again and Glory staggers back again. "I guess I'll have to settle for causing it then"

Glory, now tried to frantically block and fend off the Slayer's blows "You can't kill me."

Not wavering and continuing to attack Glory, Buffy now knows that she could beat Glory. "No... but my arm's not even tired yet." Buffy continued to wail on Glory with the hammer. Glory's face is now bloody and she is dazed from excruciating pain. A blow sent her to her knees, an uppercut put her right on her back.

Glory, in pain and dealing with frustration, tried to get back to her feet. "Stop it!"

Buffy, giving no quarter, slammed the hammer into Glory's face. "You're a god make it stop." She then raised the hammer - which is now covered in Glory's blood and hits Glory back down onto the ground.

Glory, bloody and defeated and incapable of dealing with the amount of pain coming from her injuries morphed into her human vessel, Ben, who is equally battered. He looked pleadingly and helplessly at Buffy. "I'm sorry."

Buffy seeing that she had already won, dropped her hammer. "Tell her it's over. She missed her shot. She goes. She ever - EVER - comes near me and mine again..."

Ben, in relief, exclaimed "We won't. I swear."

A moment, and Buffy arose, eyes still on the boy. Then she turned and bolted toward Dawn.

-8-

Ben coughed and tried to sit up, with despair etched onto his eyes. He lay back down and laughed bitterly. Guess we're stuck with each other, huh baby?" Noticing that there is another figure looming over him. He squinted to see Giles, squatting over him.

Giles, seemingly trying to come to his aid. "Can you move?"

Ben, took deep breaths, trying desperately to cope with the pain that Glory's injuries were causing him, managed to croak out. "Need... a minute... She could have killed me."

Giles, looked at Ben. "No she couldn't. Never. And sooner or later, Glory will re-emerge and make Buffy pay for that mercy, and the world with her. Buffy even knows that, and still she wouldn't take a human life. Because she's a hero, you see. She's not like us." He then coldly clamped his hand over Ben's mouth and nose as Ben struggled feebly for a while. Then stops.

-8-

Buffy climbed up the tower and strode toward Doc. He turned and gracefully hurled the knife at Buffy's face. She bats it out of the way and reached Doc, similarly batting him aside as easily as she did the knife, all the while never breaking her stride on her way to Dawn.

Buffy untied Dawn. "I got you... You're gonna be okay."

Dawn sees the blood pooling out from her and dripping onto the air where it stopped some twenty feet down, clearly suspended by some mystical force. Another few drops join it and they begin to transform into a crackling ball of energy, white with power at the very center. "Oh God, Buffy!"

Buffy hurriedly starts dragging Dawn with her down the platform. Dawn resists and looks back onto the portal that is slowly getting larger.

The platform rumbled and shook, wind whipping both girls' hair. She cried and looked at her sister. "Buffy, I have to close the portal. It's started."

The portal continued to grow - and it shot out a lightning-like tentacle of energy that hits an intersection of the street - the street crumbled away into a fiery abyss. Another bolt comes from the portal and hits a nearby building transforming it into an alien looking structure.

Unearthly zombie creatures start to crawl out of it. They are white-faced and horrible, like the decaying corpses of things that were never human.

In reverence and shared lunacy, the crazies and the minions have all prostrated themselves on the ground.

Giles looked around, sees the light above him and feels the ground start to shake. He grabs the wall for support, fearing that the worst may have come to pass and they were too late.

-8-

I took my love and I took it down

I climbed a mountain and I turned around

And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills

Well the landslide brought me down

-Landslide by Fleetwood MAC-

Buffy and Dawn see what's happening around them as another rumble causes them to almost fall off the platform.

Dawn, realizing that she will have to die to stop the world from being destroyed. Looks at Buffy. "I'm sorry."

Dawn made a break for it and tried to run back to the end of the platform. Buffy grabbed her, pulled her back and gets between her and the edge of the tower platform "What are you doing?"

Dawn struggled to get through to Buffy. "I can end this. I have to jump. The energy-"

Buffy, looked at Dawn. "It'll kill you!"

Dawn, with tears streaming down her face looked at Buffy. "I know. Buffy, I know about the ritual! I have to stop it. I have to! Look at what's happening!"

A rift opened and a huge dragon flew out from the portal, screaming as it circled and sailed past them.

Dawn continued to speak. "You have to let me go! Blood starts it, and until the blood stops flowing it'll never stop. You know you have to let me ... It has to have the blood ..."

Realization swept over Buffy's face... It's always blood. Summers blood. Dawn was made from me. Death is my gift.

The wind still raged as Buffy turned to look at the edge of the platform and sees the sun starting to rise above it. Buffy looked at the horizon, looking uncommonly serene. She turns to look back at Dawn.

Dawn knows without knowing. "Buffy... no ..."

Buffy, took Dawn's hands in hers and looks looks at her face. Listen to me! There's no time, Dawn, please listen. She brings Dawn close to her so she can speak in her ear..."Dawn listen to me. Listen. I love you. I'll always love you. But this is the work I have to do. Tell Angel, that i still love him and that I will always be his girl. Tell him, that I remember and that I never forgot. Tell Giles I... I figured it out. And I'm okay. Give my love to my friends. You have to take care of them now - you have to take care of each other. You all have to be strong. The hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me. Know that wherever I am my heart will always be with all of you." She wiped Dawn's tears away, taking the moment to memorize Dawn's face. Letting go, she then turned, runs toward the end of the platform and swan dived right out and down toward the portal. Buffy's body hits the portal and disappears in white light, causing energy to go even wilder hitting the creatures previously unleashed and destroying them.

As the smoke clears, the gang slowly come toward Buffy's lifeless body. Dawn, having climbed down, the farthest behind, Xander carried Anya, who looks out of danger, but is as stricken as the rest. Their faces registered stoic, humbled shock. Willow weeped openly. As does Spike, who stayed hidden from the encroaching sunlight, collapsing in wretched sobs at his failure, at the death of someone he loved. Giles comes the closest, standing over the body of his Slayer, refusing to believe that the daughter of his heart was no longer among the living.

BUFFY ANNE SUMMERS

1985-2004

BELOVED SISTER, DEVOTED FRIEND

SHE SAVED THE WORLD A LOT

-8-

I've never seen ten thousand angels cry

But I'm sure they did as they stood by

And watched the saviour die.

God turned his head away

He couldn't bear the sight

It must have looked like rain

When ten thousand angels cried.

-Ten Thousand Angels, Leann Rhimes-

Somewhere, two girls miles from one another are dreaming the same set of dreams with tears streaming down their faces.

They saw and felt everything, Buffy's fight with Glory, her choice and eventual sacrifice.

In a correctional facility somewhere in Los Angeles, California, Faith Lehane, abruptly woke up from her dream. She knew what her dream meant and even felt it as B finally breathed her last.

Tears kept raining from her eyes, falling unchecked. When she finally acknowledged that B was gone, she gave into her grief and sadness as her body convulsed with the sobs coursing through her body.

She cursed herself for not swallowing her pride and getting in touch with B earlier. Now she would never have the chance to make amends.

She had promised herself that she would make it up to B and fix their friendship as soon as she got out. She spent so much time being jealous and pushing B away. Now she dearly regretted each second that she did not see how much B tried to be her sister and friend. She cried for lost chances, regrets and the loss of her sister slayer. "I am so sorry B. I never had the chance to make it up to you and tell you how much I wanted to start over and be friends with you again."

-8-

Elsewhere, in one of MIT's dorm houses, 15 year old Felicity Smoak finally wakes from her nightmare and is left shaken as she recalled the blonde who died to save her sister. She has never met her or any of the people in her dream and yet the loss she felt at her death was very real. She had woken with tears streaming down her face and somehow her tears kept falling. Death was her gift!? What kind of a gift was that? The blonde in her dream was only a few years older than her and yet her eyes showed wisdom and experience that far belied her age.

In her dream, this girl saved the world and had apparently done so several times if her tombstone was to be believed. She questioned whether the events in her dream could have actually been real. While a small voice in her head whispered that none of it could possibly be true she could not help but feel that the events in her dream had truly come to pass.

Stranger things had happened after all. Looking at her best friends Liz and Fred, who were sleeping in twin beds across from hers she thought to herself, 'I mean, if aliens with crazy powers are real, why can't a few vampires and demons also be part of this world's crazy equation?'

She prayed that she wasn't going crazy. They did say that there was a thin line between genius and insanity and she hoped to God that her dreams did not signify that she had finally crossed over. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that the sound of her alarm, caused her to give a small shriek waking Liz and Fred.

Moving her had to the alarm clock, she hit the snooze button and caused both her clock and the side table to break. "What the!?"

Seeing Liz's and Fred's shocked faces. "Uhm, guys, I think we may have a small problem."